Deck 9: Experimental Designs: Within-Subjects Design

Question 1

In a within-subjects research study,factors that change over time,such as history and maturation,can be threats to

A)internal validity.
B)external validity.
C)both internal and external validity.
D)neither internal nor external validity.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

During the first treatment condition of a within-subjects experiment,the participants learn a new skill that helps improve their performance in later treatment conditions.For this study,the internal validity is threatened by

A)history effects.
B)instrumentation.
C)testing effects.
D) regression toward the mean.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Order effects can become a confounding variable because

A)they affect all the treatment conditions equally.
B) treatment conditions at the end of the series are affected differently than conditions at the beginning.
C)they cannot be separated from other time related threats such as history.
D)they create individual differences between treatment conditions.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In a within-subjects design,the term "participant attrition" refers to the possibility that

A) the scores may differ from one treatment to another because of outside events.
B) the scores may differ from one treatment to another because of changes in the measuring instrument.
C) the scores may differ from one treatment to another because the participants gain experience in each treatment.
D) some of the individuals in the study may leave without completing all of the treatment conditions.

Question 5

In a within-subjects design,individual differences (participant variables)are a problem because

A)they can become confounding variables.
B)they can increase the variability.
C)they can become confounding variables and they can increase the variability.
D)individual differences are not a problem in a within-subjects design.

Question 6

Which of the following research designs involves measuring the same group of participants in two different treatment conditions?

A)between-subjects
B)within-subjects
C)matched subjects
D)a combined,two-factor design

Question 7

Order effects include

A)history and instrumentation effects.
B)carryover and progressive error effects.
C)maturation and regression effects.
D)assignment bias and selection bias.

Question 8

For a within-subjects experiment,one of the primary threats to internal validity is

A)individual differences that may exist within treatment conditions.
B)individual differences that may exist between treatment conditions.
C) the risk that participation in one treatment condition may influence scores in other treatment conditions.
D) the risk that one (or more)of the treatment conditions will have no influence on the participants' scores.

Question 9

When an outside event occurs during a within-subject study and influences some of the treatment conditions but not others,the results are said to be confounded by

A)history effects.
B)instrumentation.
C)maturation.
D)regression toward the mean.

Question 10

A way to control for order effects in a within-subjects experiment is to use

A)matching.
B)randomization.
C)holding order constant.
D)counterbalancing.

Question 11

If a researcher would like to conduct an experiment but is concerned about strong order effects,one solution is to use a

A)within-subjects design.
B)between-subjects design.
C)correlational design.
D)descriptive strategy.

Question 12

In a within-subjects study that extends over a relatively long time,it is possible that there will be systematic changes in the participants' skills or knowledge during the time of the study.If these changes influence the participants' scores,causing scores at the end of the study to be different from scores at the beginning,the effect is called

A)a history effect.
B)instrumentation.
C)maturation.
D)regression toward the mean.

Question 13

A researcher is conducting an experiment comparing three treatment conditions.If the researcher uses a between-subjects design,there will be _____ score(s)for each participant but if a within-subjects design is used there will be ____ score(s)for each participant.

A)1,1
B)1,3
C)3,1
D)3,3

Question 14

When one treatment condition has a lasting effect on the participants and influences their scores in later treatments,the study is confounded by

A)history effects.
B)instrumentation.
C)carryover effects.
D)progressive error.

Question 15

Counterbalancing is used in

A)between-subjects designs to reduce individual differences.
B)within-subjects designs to distribute order effects evenly across the treatment conditions.
C)between-subjects designs to distribute order effects evenly across the treatment conditions.
D)within-subjects designs to reduce the effects of reactivity.

Question 16

How many participants would be needed for a within-subjects experiment comparing four different treatment conditions with a total of 20 scores in each treatment?

A)20
B)40
C)80
D)cannot answer without more information

Question 17

Which of the following is not a time-related threat to internal validity for a within-subjects experiment?

A)history
B)instrumentation
C)maturation
D)assignment bias

Question 18

Compared to a between-subjects design,the variance in a within-subjects design is greatly reduced because the _______ are measured and statistically removed.

A)individual differences
B)carry over effects
C)progressive error effects
D)instrumentation effects

Question 19

A researcher is evaluating the changes in performance that occur during a 6-week training program.Participants are observed at the beginning and at the end of the program and the researcher rates each individual's level of performance.If the researcher's standards for rating performance change from the first observation to the last,then the internal validity of the study is threatened by

A)history.
B)instrumentation.
C)maturation.
D)statistical regression.

Question 20

_____ the time period between treatment conditions reduces the chances of history influencing the results of a within-subjects experiment.

A)Shortening
B)Lengthening
C)Shortening and then lengthening
D)None of the other options will effect history.

Question 21

For a within-subjects experiment comparing two treatments,a researcher is concerned that the results may be confounded by outside events that occur between the first and second treatments.One way to reduce the likelihood that scores will be influenced by an outside event is

A)to switch to a between-subjects design.
B)to decrease the amount of time between the two treatments.
C)to counterbalance the order of treatments.
D)all of the other options are methods to reduce the effect of an outside event.

Question 22

An advantage of a multiple-treatment within-subjects design compared to a two-treatment design is

A)there is a reduced risk of participant attrition.
B)there is a reduced risk that time-related factors will influence the data.
C)it is easier to counterbalance a design with several treatments.
D)it is more likely to reveal the full relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Question 23

For an experiment that compares two treatment conditions with ten scores in each treatment,which design would require fewer subjects?

A)between-subjects
B)within-subjects
C)matched-subjects
D)all would require the same number of subjects.

Question 24

How many groups of participants would be needed to completely counterbalance a within-subjects experiment with three treatment conditions?

A)1
B)3
C)6
D)9

Question 25

For a within-subjects study comparing two treatments,A and B,a researcher expects that practice in the first treatment will improve the participants' scores in the second treatment.If the order of treatments is counterbalanced,then the practice will influence

A)scores in treatment A but not in treatment B.
B)scores in treatment B but not in treatment A.
C)scores in treatment A for half the participants and scores in treatment B for half the participants.
D)Practice will not influence the scores because the treatments are counterbalanced.

Question 26

The appropriate hypothesis test for a within-subjects design that compares two treatment conditions is

A)an independent-measures t test.
B)a repeated-measures t test.
C)a multi-group single-factor analysis of variance.
D)a chi-square test for independence.

Question 27

Which of the following differentiates a matched-subjects design from a within-subjects design?

A)The matched-subjects design uses only one group of participants.
B)The matched-subjects design removes individual differences from the variance.
C)The matched-subjects design reduces the likelihood that individual differences can become a confounding variable.
D)The matched-subjects design uses a different group of participants for each treatment condition.

Question 28

The effect of counterbalancing is

A)to eliminate order effects.
B)to spread order effects equally across the different treatment conditions.
C)to separate order effects from the treatment effects.
D)to subtract out order effects along with the individual differences.

Question 29

How many groups of participants would be needed to partially counterbalance four treatment conditions?

A)4
B)8
C)16
D)24

Question 30

A within-subjects design has a definite advantage over a between-subjects design when the number of available subjects is relatively ________ and individual differences are relatively _____.

A)large,large
B)large,small
C)small,large
D)small,small

Question 31

The goal of counterbalancing is to

A)eliminate order effects.
B)spread order effects evenly across the treatment conditions.
C)eliminate individual differences.
D)spread individual differences evenly across treatment conditions.

Question 32

Which of the following is an advantage of the between-subjects design versus the within-subjects design?

A)It generally requires fewer participants.
B)It usually is a more sensitive test (more likely to detect a treatment effect).
C)It eliminates the risk of order effects.
D)It eliminates potential problems that may be caused by individual differences.

Question 33

In a Latin square

A)each participant receives each treatment in the same order.
B)each treatment is administered first in the series for one group of participants.
C)each participant receives a different treatment.
D)every possible ordering of treatment conditions is used.

Question 34

Within-subjects designs are most useful when

A)individual differences are large and there are many participants available.
B)individual differences are large and there are relatively few participants available.
C)individual differences are small and there are many participants available.
D)individual differences are small and there are relatively few participants available.

Question 35

Latin square is used to determine the order of treatments that will be used in a within-subjects experiment comparing 5 treatments labeled A,B,C,D,and E.How many groups of participants will receive treatment E as the first treatment?

A)0
B)1
C)5
D)cannot answer without more information

Question 36

If a researcher has a reason to expect large and long-lasting order effects,the best strategy is

A)to increase the amount of time between treatment conditions.
B)to use partial counterbalancing.
C)to use complete counterbalancing.
D)to use a between-subjects research design.

Question 37

How many participants would be needed for a matched-subjects design comparing three different treatment conditions with 20 scores in each treatment?

A)20
B)60
C)120
D)cannot answer without more information.

Question 38

A Latin square is used with

A)partial counterbalancing.
B)complete counterbalancing.
C)matched-subjects designs.
D)all within-subjects designs.

Question 39

A matched-subjects design attempts to eliminate the problems associated with _______ that are a concern for between-subjects designs and also eliminate the problems associated with ______ that are a concern for between-subjects designs.

A)order effects,order effects
B)order effects,individual differences
C)individual differences,individual differences
D)individual differences,order effects

Question 40

In a completely counterbalanced within-subjects experiment

A)each group receives a different treatment.
B)each participant receives each treatment in the same order.
C)a series of treatments is presented in every possible sequence.
D)participants receive a random order of treatment conditions.

Question 41

Randomly assigning participants to treatment conditions is not a part of within-subjects experiments.

Question 42

Counterbalancing is not used with a between-subjects design.

Question 43

A within-subjects design would be appropriate for a research study that compares problem solving ability for participants with three different levels of self-esteem (high self-esteem,medium self-esteem,and low self-esteem).

Question 44

One general concern for within-subjects research is that participation in one treatment condition may influence an individual's scores in a later treatment condition.This creates a threat to internal validity known as order effects or testing effects.

Question 45

The effect of counterbalancing is to eliminate order effects.

Question 46

One disadvantage of a multiple-treatment design compared to a two-treatment design is that the likelihood of participant attrition increases as the number of treatments increases.

Question 47

One advantage of a two-treatment design compared to a multiple-treatment design is that it is easier to counterbalance.

Question 48

Counterbalancing involves having different groups of participants move through the series of treatments in different orders.

Question 49

It is impossible to have order effects with a between-subjects design.

Question 50

One disadvantage of within-subject designs is that they tend to require more participants than are needed for between-subject designs.

Question 51

Just as random assignment is routinely used to protect the internal validity of between-subjects research,counterbalancing is routinely used to protect the internal validity of within-subjects research.

Question 52

The goal of counterbalancing is to limit the possibility that order effects become a confounding variable.

Question 53

Partial counterbalancing for four treatments would require four groups of participants.

Question 54

The larger the number of treatment conditions,the easier it is to completely counterbalance them.

Question 55

If the measurement device changes during the course of a within-subjects study so that the participants' scores are influenced,internal validity is threatened by statistical regression.

Question 56

Using a Latin square to counterbalance a within-subjects experiment ensures that every possible ordering of treatment conditions is used.

Question 57

If one or more of the treatments in an experiment is expected to have a large and long-lasting effect that could influence the participants' scores in later treatments,the best strategy is to use a between-subjects design.

Question 58

One advantage of within-subjects designs is that they completely eliminate the possibility that individual differences can become confounding variables.

Question 59

Random assignment is used to control order effects in a within-subjects experiment.

Question 60

The tendency for extremely high scores on one measurement to be followed by lower scores on a second measurement is called statistical regression.

Question 61

Identify two time-related factors that can threaten the internal validity of a within-subjects research study.In each case,explain how the factor could be a confounding variable.

Question 62

Give an example of order effects in a within-subjects research study and explain why order effects are a concern for researchers.

Question 63

Describe a matched-subjects design and explain how this design attempts to avoid the major problems that exist with a between-subject design and a within-subjects design.

Question 64

Under what circumstances is a within-subjects design not a good choice for a research study?

Question 65

Describe the limitations or problems that can occur with counterbalancing.

Question 66

Outline the major advantages and disadvantages of between-subjects designs and within-subjects designs.

Question 67

Describe the process of counterbalancing and explain how this process reduces the risk of problems from order effects.